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<blockquote data-quote="jakester318" data-source="post: 1332848" data-attributes="member: 3992">I agree with what you have written.&nbsp; It&#039;s a sobering reality.&nbsp; I find that at 44 years of age, suffering has followed me throughout most of my life.&nbsp; In some cases, it has happened at the hands of others.&nbsp; And in other cases, I have caused my own suffering through my lack of wisdom or foolishness.&nbsp; I have learned over time to embrace it more and more.&nbsp; It&#039;s not easy, though.&nbsp; But I feel that when it is hard, I need to go to God and ask him for the strength to endure.&nbsp; For when I am weak, he seems to provide the strength I need to be sustained.&nbsp; I don&#039;t like suffering.&nbsp; I do think that to like it is to be somewhat masochistic.&nbsp; It seems that what we are called to like are the results of what suffering in the hands of a good and wise God can do for us.&nbsp; As you said, it is refining.&nbsp; It produces steadfastness and wisdom.&nbsp; We definitely need those things.&nbsp; And I think over time we can come to say that we are joyful when we suffer, not because suffering in of itself is cool or fun.&nbsp; But when we are suffering, we are being given a gift that will mature us and make us stronger.&nbsp; And somewhere in that experience we are being reminded that we belong to God.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="jakester318, post: 1332848, member: 3992"] I agree with what you have written. It's a sobering reality. I find that at 44 years of age, suffering has followed me throughout most of my life. In some cases, it has happened at the hands of others. And in other cases, I have caused my own suffering through my lack of wisdom or foolishness. I have learned over time to embrace it more and more. It's not easy, though. But I feel that when it is hard, I need to go to God and ask him for the strength to endure. For when I am weak, he seems to provide the strength I need to be sustained. I don't like suffering. I do think that to like it is to be somewhat masochistic. It seems that what we are called to like are the results of what suffering in the hands of a good and wise God can do for us. As you said, it is refining. It produces steadfastness and wisdom. We definitely need those things. And I think over time we can come to say that we are joyful when we suffer, not because suffering in of itself is cool or fun. But when we are suffering, we are being given a gift that will mature us and make us stronger. And somewhere in that experience we are being reminded that we belong to God. [/QUOTE]

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